Rings
El Aro
2017 · United States · 102 min
- Director
- Francisco Javier Gutiérrez
- Screenplay
- Akiva Goldsman, Jacob Aaron Estes, David Loucka
- Producer
- Laurie MacDonald
- Music
- Matthew Margeson
- Cinematography
- Sharone Meir
- Editing
- Steve Mirkovich
- Production company
- Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks
- Based on
- Spiral
Cast
What it is about
Julia, a university student, grows worried when her boyfriend Holt goes silent after leaving for college. Her search leads her to a group of young people involved in a strange experiment connected to a cursed videotape, a legend that circulates among those who have heard of it. As she investigates, Julia realizes that time is running out and that the curse does not distinguish between those who look closely and those who would rather not.
How it was made
The project began at Paramount Pictures as the third entry in the franchise, initially titled The Ring 3D, with F. Javier Gutiérrez attached to direct. After early drafts by David Loucka and Jacob Aaron Estes, Akiva Goldsman was brought in to write a new version of the screenplay. Principal photography took place in Atlanta from late March to late May 2015, and new scenes were shot in July 2016. Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki and Aimee Teegarden lead the cast. The film follows the franchise's lead with a psychological horror approach, with the cursed video remaining at the center of the story.
Reception and legacy
Critics received it largely negatively, yet audiences turned out in numbers: it grossed about 83 million dollars worldwide against a budget of 25 million. Its American release on February 3, 2017 came after several postponements. Its legacy is more modest than that of the first two films. One of the most talked-about promotional efforts was a video in which an actress dressed as Samara jumped out of televisions in electronics stores to frighten shoppers, a clip that passed 200 million views.
Stills
Trailer
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Trivia
Shifting release dates
The film was originally set for November 2015, but it was pulled from the schedule and moved several times before reaching theaters in February 2017.
A change of title
Before becoming Rings, the project was announced as The Ring 3D, a name dropped after Gutiérrez posted an Instagram photo in November 2014 that revealed the new title.
Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.